Abstract
The ability to characterize bulk and interfacial transport properties of polymer electrolytes is critical to realizing their potential applications in electrochemical energy storage devices. In this study, we leverage custom microfabricated interdigitated electrode array (IDEs) as a platform to probe ion transport properties of polymer electrolytes films through electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) measurements. Using poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO) blended with lithium bis(trifluoromethanesulfonyl)imide (LiTFSI) as a model dry polymer electrolyte system, we investigate how geometric parameters of the IDEs influence the quality and analysis of EIS measurements. By focusing on films on the nanometer film thickness (ca. 50 nm), EIS measurements revealed diffusional processes near the electrode/polymer interface that may be difficult to observe with conventional thick films. Moreover, irreversible impedance spectra were observed at elevated temperatures when using IDEs with large electrode metal fractions. These irreversible processes were eliminated through passivation of the IDE with different oxides (SiO2, Al2O3, or TiO2). Ultimately, the ionic conductivity of PEO-LiTFSI electrolytes is confidently determined when appropriate IDE geometries and equivalent circuits are used. Our work demonstrates the use of IDEs and nanothin polymer electrolytes films as a versatile platform for rapid and efficient interrogation of both bulk and interfacial electrochemical properties.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | H1028-H1039 |
| Journal | Journal of the Electrochemical Society |
| Volume | 165 |
| Issue number | 16 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - 2018 |
| Externally published | Yes |
Bibliographical note
Publisher Copyright:© 2018 The Electrochemical Society.
Funding
We gratefully acknowledge support by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), Basic Energy Sciences, Materials Sciences and Engi- neering Division. This work made use of the Pritzker Nanofabrication Facility of the Institute for Molecular Engineering at the University of Chicago, which receives support from Soft and Hybrid Nanotechnology Experimental (SHyNE) Resource (NSF ECCS-1542205), a node of the National Science Foundation’s National Nanotechnology Co-ordinated Infrastructure. We acknowledge the MRSEC Shared User Facilities at the University of Chicago (NSF DMR-1420709). We gratefully acknowledge support by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), Basic Energy Sciences, Materials Sciences and Engineering Division. This work made use of the Pritzker Nanofabrication Facility of the Institute for Molecular Engineering at the University of Chicago, which receives support from Soft and Hybrid Nanotechnology Experimental (SHyNE) Resource (NSF ECCS-1542205), a node of the National Science Foundation’s National Nanotechnology Coordinated Infrastructure. We acknowledge the MRSEC Shared User Facilities at the University of Chicago (NSF DMR-1420709).
| Funders | Funder number |
|---|---|
| Materials Sciences and Engi- neering Division | |
| National Science Foundation | DMR-1420709, ECCS-1542205 |
| U.S. Department of Energy | |
| Basic Energy Sciences | |
| University of Chicago |
